Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
The invention relates to a toggle switch, notably a window regulator switch in a motor vehicle, comprising a switch housing in which a toggle lever is by means of spring force disposed in at least one switching limit position and a dead-center position. The toggle lever has at least one switch-operating lever portion for actuation of at least one switching assembly; and the toggle lever features a center projection in which a spring-loaded catch unit is inserted and which interacts with a catch cam for detenting the toggle lever position.
Motor vehicles are increasingly equipped with electrically actuated window regulator switches for all doors. A separate window regulator switch is provided for each door of the motor vehicle, operated by a push button or toggle lever. The push buttons or toggle levers for actuation by the driver are commonly located either in the driver""s door panel or on the center console.
Known from DE 27 48 835 C3 is an automotive toggle switch featuring a toggle lever fitted in a top part of a switch housing and having two switching limit positions in which the toggle lever bears on stationary stops, preloaded by means of spring force always on one of the stops. The toggle lever comprises two switch-operating lever portions that extend parallel to each other and engage a switching assembly with a pertaining contact bridge movable on contact tracks. Located between the switch-operating lever portions is a projection in which a spring-loaded detent is fitted that interacts with a track molded in the bottom of the housing top. The end of the detent facing the track is provided with a roller.
The switch housing of this aforesaid known toggle switch is divided into a housing top part and a housing bottom part, making it constructionally very expensive and bulky requiring much overall space. The bottom part houses the switching assembly and the contact bridge loaded by a compression spring, which are actuated by the switch-operating lever portions of the toggle lever. The switch-operating levers protrude for that purpose through an opening in the bottom of the housing top part, into the housing bottom part. The switching assembly in the housing bottom part is therefore spring-loaded additionally, in order to compensate for manufacturing and moving tolerances by the two-part design of the switch housing. This arrangement contributes to increasing the overall volume of the toggle switch.
The objective of the present invention is to provide a toggle switch, notably a window regulator switch, that makes it possible to reduce the construction volume of the switch housing and compensate for design-related tolerances, while at the same time guaranteeing easy operability of the toggle switch.
This objective is satisfied by the present invention in that the switch housing comprises a receiving part that is integral with it, in which the toggle lever is fitted and the catch cam is also integrated with the receiving part enclosing the at least one switching assembly and the at least one switch-operating lever portion.
The single-part design of the switch housing with receiving part avoids dividing the switch housing in two, which produces a small overall volume for the switch housing. Moreover, the switch housing can be manufactured with the receiving part integrally formed in a single piece. Due to fitting the toggle lever and at the same time integrating the cam curve in the receiving part, tolerance advantages are created by the short distance between the toggle lever bearing and the catch unit sliding on the cam curve, which provides for easy operability of the toggle switch. As a result, the dead-center position of the toggle lever can be maintained exactly. Furthermore, a separation exists between haptics or lens and electrics. In addition, the switching point can be varied without affecting the actuating force. Lastly, the actuating force can be varied without influencing the point of contact.
To make sufficient space available for accommodating the arms of the toggle levers, respectively switching assemblies, the receiving part is in one embodiment of the invention fashioned substantially U-shaped, on the switch housing.
Moreover, the top side of the receiving part features preferably an at least partly circumscribing skirt, in which the toggle lever is fitted. This results in material savings and thus a weight reduction, since the receiving part is fashioned in the form of a skirt only in the region where the toggle lever is supported.
The switch housing with the integrated receiving part is preferably formed of plastic. This makes it possible to produce the receiving part as a single-step injection molding.
To protect the switch housing from environmental effects, such as moisture, the switch housing preferably allows sealing from below, with a base.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, the toggle lever has a switch-operating lever portion that is spaced from the center projection and actuates the coordinated switching assembly. Pressing the toggle lever causes its switching-operating lever portion to actuate the coordinated switching assembly by loading it, so that in this switching limit position the associated corresponding window in the motor vehicles is lowered. Releasing the toggle lever causes it to be moved by the spring-loaded catch unit to its dead-center position, which at the same time represents a switching limit position in which the switch-operating lever portion relieves the switching assembly, thus closing the window again.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the toggle lever is equipped with two switch-operating lever portions spaced from the projection disposed one on each end of the toggle lever, each actuating a coordinated switching assembly. Pressing on one side of the toggle lever causes it to move from its dead-center position to one switching limit position, with the one switch-operating lever portion acting on the associated switching assembly and opening the window in the motor vehicle door. Upon release, the toggle lever restores to its dead-center position. Pressing the toggle lever in the opposite direction to its other switching limit position causes the other switch-operating lever portion to actuate the associated second switching assembly, thus closing the window.
Each switching assembly is preferably a microswitch adapted for assembly to the receiving part of the switch housing. To convey to the user an improved switching feel, the microswitch is one of long-stroke design, enabling its stem to perform a specific, longer travel until the onset of the switching function. Furthermore, the actuating force of the microswitch is less than 0.5 N, in order to improve the switching feel.
The present microswitch design has different switching functions that can be activated depending on the position of its stem actuated by the coordinated switch-operating lever of the toggle lever. The respective microswitch may be fashioned such that a short-duration, or short-stroke actuation of the toggle lever occasions only a short-duration and partial lowering or raising of the window in the door of the motor vehicle. In contrast, pressing the toggle lever longer or more forcefully may trigger a switching function that causes a complete lowering or raising of the window.
In terms of circuitry, the microswitch connects suitably to a printed circuit board disposed on the switch housing or to a stamped grid arranged outside the switch housing. With the microswitch not contained directly on the printed circuit board or stamped grid, but in the receiving part of the switch housing, the dimensions of the printed circuit board or stamped grid comprising the LED""s, series resistors, plugs and the like are reduced.
The cam curve integrated in the receiving part is preferably fashioned as a V-shaped sliding track for the catch unit of the toggle lever. The V-shaped cam profile occasions the exact dead-center position, i.e., the rest position of the toggle switch. The spring-loaded catch unit in the projection molded to the underside of the toggle lever always forces the toggle lever to be restored, upon release, to its exact dead-center position. Furthermore, the V-shaped sliding track for the catch unit of the toggle lever expands unevenly, starting from its inverse vertex. This means that the V-shaped sliding track expands increasingly from the inverse vertex upward. This conveys to the user a tactile switching feel, due to the specific catch cam geometry, thus improving the operability of the toggle switch.
The invention is described hereafter in greater detail with the aid of an exemplary embodiment and with reference to the pertaining drawing.